Washington, DC – Today, during debate on H.R. 915, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to grant priority consideration to Dallas Love Field Airport for a project that would link the airport to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system.  H.R. 915, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009, provides for the creation of an Intermodal Ground Access Project Pilot Program at no more than five airports nationwide.  In a colloquy with House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar, Congresswoman Johnson urged the FAA to consider Love Field as one of the selected airports.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009, which today passed the House by a vote of 277-136, authorizes $70 billion for the FAA for FY 2009 through FY 2012.  The historic funding levels will provide the FAA with the funding required to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system and improve airport infrastructure.

The legislation also includes extensive safety provisions.  It increases the number of aviation safety inspectors by more than one-third and requires the FAA to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on pilot fatigue and improve its flight and duty time requirements for pilots in accordance with the results of the study.  It also creates an independent Aviation Safety Whistleblower Investigation Office within the FAA and mandates a two-year cooling-off period after inspectors leave FAA, during which they cannot work for the airline they were responsible for overseeing.  Congresswoman Johnson pushed for the inclusion of the “cooling-off period” provision when the bill was in committee, after introducing similar stand-alone legislation in the 110th Congress.

Finally, the FAA Reauthorization Act implements a number of consumer protections, including requiring airlines and airports to have emergency contingency plans for long onboard tarmac delays, which account for the provision of food, water, clean restrooms and medical care for passengers.  The U.S. Department of Transportation can fine airlines and airports that fail to develop or comply with these plans.

Please see below for the full text of Congresswoman Johnson’s colloquy with Chairman Oberstar:

Ms. Johnson: 

 I rise to engage the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in a brief colloquy regarding Section 114 of this legislation.

 I want to thank you, Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Costello and Ranking Member Petri for your work on this bill, particularly in the area of intermodalism as outlined in Section 114 of the bill.  Expansion of passenger facility charge (PFC) eligibility to include Intermodal Ground Access Projects at Airports is of utmost importance to my congressional district.

 This Committee cares deeply about intermodalism and I care deeply about intermodalism.  Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has been a leader in promoting intermodalism throughout the North Texas region.  The City of Dallas plans to construct an intermodal connector that will provide passengers with an easy connection with the Dallas Love Field Airport. 

I respectfully ask the distinguished Chairman to work with me to ensure that Dallas Love Field Airport receives priority consideration for the program outlined in Section 114 of the bill. 

Mr. Oberstar:

I want to thank the gentlewoman Texas (Ms. Johnson) for bringing this project to the Committee’s attention.  For the reasons outlined by my distinguished colleague, Dallas Love Field is an example of the type of project we envisioned when crafting section 114.  I believe Dallas Love Field seems well suited to participate in the pilot project and would urge the FAA to give full and fair consideration to its application. 

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.